


There's a Fine Line Between Hate and Lust

by what_can_you_do



Category: Krashlyn - Fandom, USWNT - Fandom, Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 22:17:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5557589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_can_you_do/pseuds/what_can_you_do
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashlyn and Ali never get along. The only time they do are spontaneous, intimate, rough moments in inappropriate places. That is, until one night that things get out of hand and they actually talk for the first time in 2 years. They learn more than they ever expected to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ashlyn walked into the room with an annoyed expression on her face. She was heading to Kelley’s sorority house for a little birthday celebration for Kling, and she just got a text from Hope informing her that Ali was there. 

That was the last thing she wanted. Although she didn’t expect anything less. The girls didn’t know about what really happened between Ali and Ashlyn, and they were all adults. The girls just expected the two to at least get along in order for celebrations to go smoothly. There was barely any contact between the two in order to avoid confrontation for a reason.

So with a sigh, she swung open Kelley’s front door, stepping inside the party.

Girls and guys from all over campus were already drunk and partying, dancing in the living room and smiling down at one another. Kling, naturally, was in the middle of all of it on the coffee table in the living room, a 21st birthday crown on her short brown hair and booming smile on her face.

Immediately, Ashlyn was engulfed in a hug as she stepped inside, smiling as Amy, Lauren, and Tobin found her and greeted her drunkenly.

“Dude!” Tobin yelled in her ear, seeing the bottle of vodka in her hand. “My hero!”

Lauren chuckled. “Tobs, you act like you need more alcohol. I think you’re good.”

“No way! It’s only eight thirty.”

Ashlyn chuckled as she looked at the watch over her tattooed sleeve. “Tobin, babe, it’s almost midnight.”

She shrugged. “What’s a few hours anyway? It’s a Friday,” she then grabbed Amy’s arm and smirked. “Come on, let’s find Alex.”

The two took off, stumbling but managing, leaving Lauren leaning on the wall and a smirking and amused Ashlyn.

Lauren chuckled at the two. “Tobin is so mellow and calm before she gets drunk. And then she turns into… that.”

“That’s why she doesn’t get drunk often,” Ashlyn mentioned. “Now come on. Let’s put this bottle into some good use.”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Two hours later, the party was still going strong and Ashlyn had a happy buzz going. She was currently sitting on the on the counter in the kitchen, smirking down at Alex who could barely stand on her own.

The brown headed forward leaned on her legs that were hanging from the counter. “You know, Ash, you’re a real catch.”

Ashlyn smirked. “So I’ve been told, Alex. But you know Tobin gets jealous easily.”

“No!” she scoffed. “Not for me, you goofball. I mean, you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“So?”

“So why not?”

Ash sighed. She knew these questions were coming. And before she answered, she said, “I have plenty of girls that fill that void already. Why have a relationship when I can have no strings attached?”

“So you’re a slut?” Alex teased, taking another sip of her drink and looking at her through laughing eyes.

“Ha ha,” Ash shot back. “I’m not a slut. It’s not like I sleep with random people. They’re all people I know.”

“Who are they anyway?”

Ash shrugged. “That’s for me to know.”

“Anyone on the team?”

“No comment, Morgan. You’re not getting any answers out of me.”

Alex didn’t take no for an answer, standing straighter and glaring at her. “Ashlyn Harris, answer me.”

“Alex Morgan, I will not.”

Just then, Tobin showed up, wrapping her arms around Alex from behind. She seemed to sober up a bit since everyone cut her off and smiled at the glare on Alex’s face. “Ash, are you messing with my girl?”

Ash held her hands up defensively. “Never.”

“Ash has secrets and I want to know them,” Alex said simply.

“What secrets?” Tobin pressed.

Alex went on to explain to Tobin the conversation when Ashlyn took the time to look around. Her eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on the one and only Ali Krieger.  
Ali was someone that Ash could never figure out. And it made her mad. It made her so mad. 

Because they played on the same team, they had to get along. But they were opposites, so they couldn’t have even one conversation without fighting. Ali liked to be right, Ash just wanted to have fun. Ali wanted to be good, Ash was a rebel. Ali wanted to win every game, and not that Ash didn’t, but she was just grateful to play. She didn’t exactly take it as seriously. If there was one thing the two agreed on, it was this:

They didn’t particularly care for each other.

In fact, they barely agreed on that. Ali would claim that she hated Ash. Ash would say that she merely didn’t care for Ali’s company. Simple really.

But there was always something about Ali Krieger. Ash didn’t know what it was. Sure, she was beautiful but she would argue that everyone on her team was gorgeous. Everyone on her team was an amazing soccer player. Everyone was dedicated. Everyone was smart. So Ali was supposed to be just another girl on the team.

And yet, Ash caught herself staring as Ali laughed with some of the fraternity guys. She did that little nose crinkle thing, that stupid way she lightly threw her head back, the way she would reach out to whoever it was who was funny, grabbing his arm to keep her steady. 

If there was one thing that Ashlyn knew, a drunk Ali was a touchy Ali. And she gripped her cup tightly as she watched that guy lean forward before he leaned down and –  
“Ash, just tell her before she goes crazy.” 

Ash tore her eyes away from Ali, frowning. How did they know about her infatuation with Ali? For the first time, she was stumped and opened her mouth where nothing came out.

The couple looked at her with confusion before Tobin added a bit more. “Your escapades, man. Alex isn’t going to let it go.”

Ash breathed in relief. “Oh, yeah, that.”

“What did you think we were talking about?” Alex asked.

Ash looked up to Ali again sneakily, catching her with her lips locked to the guy with blonde hair and a Def Leppard t-shirt. She shook the picture from her head and turned back to her friends.

“Nothing. Let’s go play beer pong or something.”

Both smiled. “Hell yeah!”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

“Alright,” Dom, one of Ashlyn’s good friends from the boy’s team and all time beer pong partner, spoke loudly over the speakers. “You guys remember the rules? One bounce on the table and you can grab it. You have to stand behind the tape. You take turns drinking. Guys finger, girls blow. Well,” he stopped and smirked at Ash who leaned against the wall behind him, “except for Ashlyn.”

This caused a few laughs from the audience and Ash just chuckled, shaking her head. “Asshole. You’re just mad because I get more girls than you do.”

The crowd loved that one too.

Dom flicked her off. “Anyway, you guys got it?” he pointed to the competitors for confirmation.

It was Ali and that stupid blonde kid that she was making out with that was up next. Ash tried not to look at her, but she couldn’t help it. Her eyes kept meeting the brunettes and it was driving her nuts. 

Ali nodded, avoiding Ash’s gaze just as much. “Got it.”

“Wanna make this a little more interesting?” The blonde kid asked.

Dom raised an eyebrow. “How so, Justin?”

Justin, apparently, just smirked. “Strip pong. The only real way to play beer pong.”

Ashlyn internally groaned. Playing against Ali was bad enough. Playing against Ali tipsy was only worse. Playing against Ali with the prospect of no shame or clothes was going to be rough.

Ali, surprisingly, met Ashlyn’s eyes with a challenge. “I’m down. Are you?”

The question didn’t seem like it was for anyone else, and it was met with such a force that Ash knew she couldn’t back down. “You’re on, Krieger. Just don’t lose your panties this time.”

That last line to everyone else was just a joke and a laugh. To the two of them, it was much more intimate, back to a few months before at the start of preseason.

FLASHBACK

“Are you shitting me?” Ali screamed at Ashlyn, shoving her into the locker room. The girl was just trying to change and Ali stormed inside, glaring at her. 

Almost everyone had left by now, too tired to even shower after the third two hour practice that day. Ashlyn was too tired to fight with the brunette for the fourth time in three days. So when Ali shoved her, she barely had the strength to catch herself in the locker before falling in. 

She turned, giving her a stern look. “Krieger, I’m too tired for your shit right now.”

“My shit?” the girl said in dismay. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Yes. Your shit. Back the hell off.”

Ali’s jaw tightened. “That goal wasn’t my fault. If you weren’t so keen on showing off, you could’ve easily saved that shot.”

“If you did your job, I wouldn’t have just jump five feet in the air to try to get a shot that was nearly impossible to stop. All you had to do was stick your foot out. But no. you have to make me look bad.”

“So it’s my fault you can’t do your job? That’s bullshit and you know that. You didn’t have to try to call me out in the middle of practice.”

Ashlyn shoved Ali lightly, grabbing her towel before pushing past her. “I’m going to shower.”

Ali grabbed her arm quickly. “Hell no, you’re not.”

“Excuse me, but since when did what you want become a priority to me?” Ashlyn asked, yanking her arm away. “Oh wait, it’s not.”

“You think you’re so good, don’t you? That you’re the best keeper on the team? That you shouldn’t be second?” That caught Ashlyn’s attention and her anger. She clenched her hand tighter around her towel as Ali went on. “Well guess what, Ash! There’s a reason you’re second. There’s a reason Hope will be ahead of you until she graduates. You’re not focused. You’re not the best. You’re not as into it. You don’t care. Maybe if you did, you’d have a chance. The best part about Hope is she doesn’t blame her defenders, she helps us. Big difference.”

“You act like I care what you have to say, Krieger.” Ash stepped forward, shoving the girl lightly against the wall. Ali’s back collided with it and Ash leaned forward until their faces were barely an inch apart. “I’ve never denied that Hope is good. And I’d help you if you’d listen, but I know that nothing I say can get through that stubborn brain of yours. It’s pointless. You’re the best right back I’ve ever played with, but you’re still a bitch to me and nothing about that is going to change.”

Ali was quietly glaring for a moment before what Ash said sunk in. Then, she seemed to realize their closeness and her eyes drifted down to Ash’s lips before she looked back up. 

Ash swallowed, not backing away. This is what she hated. She was fine from a distance, but a close Ali Krieger was hard to stop those… internal instincts. And her instincts were telling her to kiss the girl in front of her.

“You’re right.” 

Ash frowned as Ali finally, actually agreed with her on something. But that didn’t mean she understood what she actually agreed with.

“Right about what?”

“That I’ll always be a bitch to you.” Ali reached up at that line and grabbed the front of Ash’s keeper practice jersey, pulling the girl closer. Ash, as usual, was shocked at this and froze. “And you’ll always be a secret fuck buddy to me.”

And with that, their lips crashed together and Ashlyn was lost in the feeling that was the defender, her anger boiling to lust as it blinded her and she kissed the defender back even harder. 

END OF FLASHBACK 

They ended up in the locker room showers that day, their clothes scattered around the locker room. What they didn’t know was that the laundry kid came in to clean all of the practice clothes, and that somehow, Krieger’s thong went missing that day.

Ali blushed and glared at her, showing the challenge in her eyes. And with that, the game began.

It was close. Sadly, Ashlyn couldn’t concentrate and Dom kept scolding her because of it. He had gotten four cups so far and she’d gotten one, but just barely. And she kept forgetting the game plays that they used, getting lost in Ali Krieger.

Because as soon as Dom sunk the first ping pong ball, Ali offered to strip first. She yanked off her tank top, revealing the exact bra that she had worn the day she and Ashlyn first started this… sex/hate relationship thing. That was in the hotel on one of their away games and they ended up as roommates. Everyone thought that the scratches on Ashlyn’s body was because she and Ali got into a fight, they the two of them were happy to let the team think that instead of the less appropriate idea. 

And by now, Dom was in his boxers, Ash was down to her black sliders and sports bra, and Ali was only in in stilettoes and underwear. Well the bottom half of her underwear. She was painfully naked from the waist up and Ashlyn was having trouble focusing.

Justin took the last shot that time, sinking the ball into the second to last cup that was left on Ashlyn’s side. She groaned at this, and hated the smirk on Ali’s face even more.

Dom sighed, dropping his hands to his table. “Ash, you are killing us right now.”

She grumbled back at him, downing the drink and stripping her bra off. Everyone was basically surrounding the table now, all cheering for different teams. 

“Alright,” she announced to Dom. “Let’s finish this.”

“Plan B?” he said with a smirk.

She nodded. “Plan B.”

Ali leaned forward on the table, hearing their conversation. “What’s plan B, exactly?”

Just at that time, Sydney (a good friend to Ash and more than a friend to Dom) stumbled into the room and bumped right into Ali. That pushed Ali into Justin, who was too drunk to catch himself and they both fell to the floor in a pile. At that moment, Dom and Ash bounced the ping pong balls on the table, right towards the cups. There were five left, but bouncing the balls first means that if you made it, it took 2 cups, and they both sunk in. Dom and ash smirked and high fived, both winking at Sydney with a thanks ash she ran off.

Ali, by the time she got up, glared at the two of them with furious eyes. “That doesn’t count! You cheated!”

“Sydney was drunk and stumbled in,” Dom defended. “It’s not our fault that she had bad timing.”

“Yeah, Krieger. Not our fault,” Ash said as she took a small sip of her whiskey. She smiled innocently, knowing that they had the game in the bag as they got the balls back. Both Dom and Ash sunk the balls in the last cup. Ash and Dom got dressed quickly, having another unspoken plan already set. 

Ali was fuming and too drunk to realize that she was drunk. Justin had hit his head and was barely aware of anything. So now, fully dressed, Ash now just smirked and winked at Ali as she and Dom walked over, pretending to go for a handshake. “Good game, Krieger.”

“I hate you, Harris.”

“Not as much as you’re about to.”  
The brunette quirked her eyebrows up. Just then, Dom announced it. “Go Ash!”

They reached down, grabbed the clothes from their opponents, and ran. Everyone was laughing as the mischievous pair ran through the house. Ali, once she realized what happened, ran after Ash, pissed out of her mind.

It had been about forty five seconds, upstairs that Ash was caught. She sprinted into a random room, trying to shut the door but Ali burst through it, pushing the door harshly into Ashlyn’s shoulder to keep her from closing it.

The force was so strong that Ash hit the floor out of force and pain. It was her bad shoulder, the one she’s always had problems with, and Ali ended up slamming the door back quickly, mainly to hide her nudity, before she turned and saw the keeper on the floor. “Ash?”

She groaned, the clothes scattered about the room and her left arm grabbing her right shoulder. “Shit, that hurt like a bitch.”

It took Ali two seconds to realize. “Oh, fuck. That’s your bad shoulder.”

“Thank you, genius. Where did you get your doctorate?”

“Shut up, asshole,” Ali shot back. “Let me get dressed and take a look at it.”

“You can leave the clothes off and take a look at it,” Ashlyn said with her dizzy, pain-filled, alcoholic mind. “Just saying.”

Ali froze as she reached down to get her clothes, but she didn’t stop completely and slipped her clothes back on before sitting next to a still frozen Ash, who’s eyes were closed and she was holding back a groan of pain. She helped her into her clothes as well, but only her pants and bra before her shoulder ached too much and the keeper fell back against the carpet.

They were quiet for a split second before Ali spoke, out of the blue, “Ash, what are we doing?”

“Fighting,” she said on instinct. “Arguing. Bickering. Take your pick.”

“I mean, why?” Ali said defeated. “I get that we’re not exactly alike and we put on a front for everyone, but Ash, what is wrong with us?”

Suddenly, Ash’s shoulder wasn’t hurting anymore. Well, it was, but this conversation was so random that she couldn’t even think about her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Ali sitting with her legs crossed next to her, her fingers playing with each other as her eyes were staring down at them nervously. 

“Wha… what are you–” Ash didn’t even know how to say it. “Ali, what’s going on?”

For some reason that Ash couldn’t explain, Ali tensed. And then, in a small voice, she met Ashlyn’s eyes and said in a quiet voice, “You know, that’s the first time in two years that you’ve called me Ali.”

Ash had no remark. “I – it’s just – I mean I didn’t know that I was, you know, allowed to–”

“Allowed to call me by my name?” Ali said in a slightly lighter tone.

Ash shrugged her shoulder, wincing a little. “I mean, yeah?”

Ali seemed to relax a bit at her mumbling and nervousness. “Ash, why did you think that?”

“You always say your name is Alexandra but your friends call you Ali.” She sat up slowly until they were sitting side by side. “And we aren’t exactly friends.”  
With a sigh, Ali stood up and held her hand out. Ashlyn looked at it like it was poisonous, and Ali just chuckled before shaking her head. “Ash, come on. Stand up.”  
She took her hand with her good one and stood, face to face with Ali now. “Okay? Now what?”

“Come here.” Ali didn’t let go of her hand and pulled her towards the random bed. Luckily, the walls of the room were bare and it seemed like no one actually lived in this bedroom in particular. Ash was on auto-pilot with Ali’s touch and her bad shoulder and the bit of alcohol and Ali sat them both on the bed, but to Ash’s surprise, she didn’t drop her hand and played with her fingers instead.

Ash waited for her to speak, and when she didn’t, Ash started. “I’m really confused on what’s happening here.”

“I’ve been terrible to you,” Ali admitted. “I really have. And you didn’t deserve it.”

That caught Ash off guard but she managed to say, “I haven’t exactly had the Nobel Peace Prize of Kindness towards you either.”

Ali chuckled. “No, but maybe we can start.”

“Why?”

Ali shrugged, refusing to actually look at Ash or answer. She had gotten sick of it and reached forward, grabbing Ali’s chin lightly and forcing their eyes to meet. “What is going on?”

Ali sighed and pushed away before turning. She propped her leg up on the bed so she was completely facing Ash. “I had a talk with HAO the other day.”

“Okay?” Ash probed.

“About you.”

Ash paused. “Um, okay. What about me?”

“You and HAO are good friends and she might have gotten sick of our fighting and bickering and sat me down to have a talk.”

Ash chuckled lightly. “I mean, I can’t tell you how many of those talks I’ve had between Tobin, Alex, Carly, and Hope. They’re all sick of it.”

“So I was thinking, I’m kind of sick of it too.”

Ash started to turn the wheels in her head, trying to figure out what Ali meant but not understanding. “We fight though. We’re not compatible. We just… it’s easier for us to be honest and fight than it is to just lie in front of everyone. That’s why we avoid each other. It’s how we keep the peace.”

“But we are compatible.”

Ash shook her head. “Have you not remembered the last two years? Did the alcohol mess with you that badly?” Ash teased, poking Ali’s forehead, causing the other girl to smile lightly and swat at her. “Earth to, Ali. You’re losing your mind.”

“Stop,” she smiled and swatted at Ashlyn’s hand again. “Ash, quit it!”

“I don’t think so.” Ash kept going though, poking and smiling as Ali laughed and pushed at her. Ash fell back with a chuckled as Ali followed. They kept poking and joking and when it finally died down, Ashlyn really looked at Ali.

She was hovering over the blonde, a small, bashful smile on her face as she chuckled down at her. There was nothing sexual about this, but Ashlyn found herself liking it. And that was weird. Ashlyn only liked Ali when it came to sex. That’s how it always was. And now…

Ali froze when she realized Ashlyn was no longer laughing or smiling. “Um, Ashlyn?”

Ashlyn swallowed nervously. “Yeah?”

There was a quiet moment between them. “Do you think we could… be friends?”  
“Friends?”

“Or…” Ali shrugged casually, her hands pressing against the pillow under Ashlyn’s head. “Or more than friends?”

This was uncharted water but familiar at the same time. “I think we’ve been more then friends without being actual friends.”

Ali nodded and leaned down a little more, her eyes on Ashlyn’s lips. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’ve liked you, Ash. And it’s terrified me because I never thought of myself like that, but every time I’ve been with you, it’s been better than anything I’ve ever had, guy or girl. Something about you is just intoxicating, and the fighting might intensify it but I have to know.”

Ashlyn’s hands moved to Ali’s hips, holding her still. “Have to know what?”

Ali swallowed. “What… what it is about you that I can’t… resist. I want it to just be the fact that it’s so much more intensified because I don’t hate you. But Ash,” Ali pressed her forehead to Ashlyn’s, both their breathing becoming shallow and nervous, “I can’t hate you. And right now, all I want is to kiss you.”

There wasn’t more than one second for Ashlyn to think before she moved her hands to Ali’s hair and yanked her down, their lips pressing together. It wasn’t too fast or speedy or hot or heated. Instead, now, it was slow. They’ve never had slow. It was calm. That was new. It was relaxed. That was unheard of for Ashlyn in general. And she liked it.

Ali barely moved anything but her head, but Ashlyn felt her hands shaking next to her head. So she pulled back, reaching to grab Ali’s hands and flip them. Ali let it happen, slowly. And eventually, Ash was now on top of Ali, holding her hands with their fingers interlocked as Ali’s legs were bent at the knees, Ash between them. There was a heat that was calm between the two, the small beat from the speakers downstairs feeling like the beat of their hearts at the moment. Except to them, their heartbeats were ten times louder and thirty times faster.

“Stop shaking,” Ashlyn whispered as she pushed her hands by Ali’s head, holding them there as she leaned over the older (only by a year) girl. “You’re making me nervous. Relax.”

Ali let out an extremely nervous, more nervous than normal nervous, laugh. “I’m making you nervous? Ash, I’m panicking right now. Telling me to calm down is not going to help.”

“And my heart is beating at a mile a minute but Ali, it’s okay.”

That caught her attention. Ali squeezed Ashlyn’s hands tightly and took a deep breath. “Holy shit. Things were so much less stressful when we were mad at each other.”

Ashlyn chuckled. “You really want to go back to that?”  
“I want you to kiss me,” Ali responded instead. “Just kiss me, Ash.”

 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ashlyn woke the next morning to the light in her eyes and a body draped over hers. She sighed contently in the warmth before she realized that whoever was over her, that hand was moving along an intricate path along the tattoo sleeve on her arm.

So she stirred, enough to catch Ali’s attention. She wasn’t sure what to say, considering when they have sex they always leave right afterwards for many reason: they normally don’t do it in a bed, they don’t let the girls catch them, and they don’t like each other enough to just fall asleep together.

Especially falling asleep clothed.

Last night, they kissed a lot but they also talked a lot and Ashlyn realized that there is more to Ali Krieger than soccer and school. They didn’t realize that they also had so much in common though. From their favorite food to their extremely similar brothers, they seemed to click for the first time since they met.

And now, it was completely different. Ashlyn didn’t see Ali and think of beauty and hatred. Looking at her now, she thought of compassion and kindness.

“You know, when I talked to HAO, she spilled some of your secrets to me,” Ali said with her head on Ashlyn’s shoulder, her fingers stopping the pattern and her arm moving to tighten around Ashlyn’s waist. “Like about your tattoos.”

“They mean a lot to me,” Ash said, surprisingly not mad at HAO. She was glad Ali knew. “And it’s not really a secret. I told tell a lot of people though.”

“She also told me about the closeted you.”

Ash chuckled, moving her hand to Ali’s hair and running a hand through it. “I think that everyone knows I’m not longer closeted. Neither are you for that matter.”

Ali laughed too. “I didn’t mean like that. The version of you who doesn’t just sleep with people and be the life of the party that doesn’t care about other’s feelings. She told me who you really are. And I didn’t believe her at the time.”

Ash was quiet for a moment. “What do you think now?”

Ali pushed back and turned to look at her. Ash took her in, the morning marks on her face, the tousled hair, the sleepiness in her eyes. And she decided right then and there that this was an Ali Krieger that she wanted to see more often.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” she blurted out accidentally.

Ali blushed and ducked her head, and Ash took that as a good sign instead of panicking. 

“Sorry,” Ash said quickly. “But I mean, it’s true.”

“Based on that,” Ali mumbled, looking back up at her with a shy look. “I’m starting to like that Ashlyn more. A lot more.”

She leaned down and kissed Ashlyn’s cheek, surprisingly the blond because it seemed so simple, and yet it meant a lot more than normal. It meant that this wasn’t just sex which didn’t even happen yesterday, and it wasn’t just friends.

“I like you, Ali,” Ash said quickly before she could pull away. “And as much as it shocks me to admit it, it’s true. I know HAO and probably a few girls on the team knew it, but now I know that it’s true too.” She leaned forward and this time, they kissed lightly. Just a press of their lips together. “This is new to both of us, so maybe we should be smart about it?”

Ali nodded once. “That can’t be that hard to be smart, right?”


	2. Another day, another fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a year, and has things gotten any better? Any worse? Well, check it and find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many people asked me to continue this, so I figured that I'd give it a shot. It had a positive response so here you go for part 2! The last part this time. I swear.

Ashlyn sighed as she watched Ali storm off angrily and she rubbed her cheek where the brunette just slapped her. 

Around her, people were dancing and joking and laughing, but she had gotten into yet another fight with Ali. Was that a surprise, not really. If they didn’t fight, then they didn’t associated. They rarely agreed on anything. In fact, there was one thing that they did agree on: they were attracted to each other.

For some damned reason in this damned universe, Ashlyn couldn’t get Ali off her mind. In the past year they’ve been together, people have claimed that their relationship might be unhealthy or a bad idea, and they broke up in order to see if it would be better to be friends. But instead, they hated anyone they dated and kept coming back to each other. So now, here they were, again, with another fight and Ashlyn had to find a way to make Ali forgive her, again, before she made another mistake, again.

Just as she tried to come up with an idea, she was bumped into and thrown against the wall. She turned to glare at whoever did it, but froze and laughed when she saw Alex and Tobin, completely and totally caught up in each other’s lips rather than on anything around them.

She rolled her eyes. “Tobin, I need to talk to you.”

Nothing. They just kept making out. Ashlyn cleared her throat, and again, nothing. So she sighed and slapped Tobin, in the back of the head, who had Alex against the wall.

“Hey!” Tobin pulled away from Alex, glaring at Ash. “What the hell, man?”

“Ali is mad at me.”

Alex laughed. “So? That’s normal for you guys.”

“Did you see where she went?”

Tobin shook her head. “We didn’t even know you two were at the party today, so…”

“We’ve been kind of busy,” Alex implied, laughing at Tobin’s blush. 

Ashlyn decided to leave the two be, grabbed a shot off the counter, downed it quickly, and took off through the party.

As they got through college, the parties got crazier and crazier. Sydney and Dom were making out in the kitchen for all eyes to see, similar to Tobes and Al. Kelley was dancing on the kitchen table with Morgan Brian and Kling, all three obviously wasted. The rest of the team and many other students weren’t going to remember the night, and that’s what made this interesting. And yet…

“Where are you, Ali?” Ashlyn whispered to herself, glancing around.

For an hour, Ashlyn walked around and joked with friends, getting more and more frustrated with her girlfriend and more annoyed as the time went on. Ali was the one that wanted to come to this. Ali was the one that wanted to get out on a Saturday night, and she was nowhere to be found, leaving Ashlyn on her own. Granted, she was a great partier so it didn’t really matter for her entertainment, but she kind of wanted to make out with someone right now, and God forbid she picks someone other than Ali. 

She was talking to Dom about the game yesterday when suddenly a pair of arms snaked around her waist. But it wasn’t Ali. She smiled at the person though.

“I found her,” Kelley yelled in her ear over the music. “Ali. She’s out back.”

“Doing what?”

“Volleyball with some girls from class.”

Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “Volleyball? Are you kidding me?”

“I don’t know if she wants you out there right now or not. What did you two even fight over?”

Ashlyn sighed and turned, leaning against the wall beside Dom as Kelley posted up next to her. “Her brother called and interrupted us earlier and I might have gotten pissed about it. She just puts me second sometimes, really bad times. It’s just stupid shit.”

“Nothing new,” Dom chuckled.

“Funny. Where is your girlfriend, Mr. Perfect?”

He opened his mouth and then shut it, realizing Sydney had disappeared too. “Fuck. Hold on.”

“That’s what I thought,” Ashlyn smirked as he walked off. She turned back to Kelley. “And he thinks I have relationship problems.” 

“You do.”

“Do not.”

“You and Ali are like ticking time bombs.”

“Well, it works,” Ashlyn pointed out. “At least it does until she decides to be unreasonable and stupid.”

Kelley rolled her eyes, taking another sip of her drink. “I’m sure that will fix everything. Call her stupid and she’ll coming running back into your arms.”

“Just relax, Kel. I’ll figure out a plan when I see her. Now that I know where she is, I have to give her time to cool off.”

“Well, she seemed comfortable with that Jessica girl, that’s for sure.”

And Ashlyn was off in a heartbeat after that. Hell no to everything that Kelly just said. 

She burst outside to the grass fields where they had the volleyball courts set up. For some reason, the girls all decided that stripping was in order. So everyone playing was in their sports bras, regular bras, and their freaking underwear. Or, in Ali’s case, the red thong that gets Ashlyn going like a dog in heat.

“Fuck my life,” she said to herself as Ali jumped up and spiked the volleyball down to the other court, cheering with her team as they scored.

Ashlyn stood and watched with her jaw clenched and her arms crossed. One of the girls noticed her and pointed it out to Ali, and then it seemed that the brunette’s mission was to turn the blonde on in every way possible. It was a bit extensive, and Ali was pulling out all of the stops. Except when she hugged Jessica, the very girl she was clinging to all night. That’s when Ashlyn lost it. Because Jessica slapped Ali’s butt as she walked away and Ashlyn stormed down there.

“Ali!” Ashlyn called, trying to control her temper but she knew it wouldn’t last long. 

The defender sighed and looked up as a few of the girls joked about her being in ‘trouble’. “What is it, Ash? We’re playing.”

“Right,” Ashlyn scoffed. “Playing. How about you focus on the ball instead of Jessica and I might believe you.”

Ali rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I do the same stuff with Kelley and HAO.”

This wasn’t going to end as smooth as Ashlyn wanted. “Look, I know you’re pissed at me, but that doesn’t mean you have to go and flirt with some desperate bimbo in order to get back at me.”

Jessica glared at her. “Excuse me?”

“Ash!” Ali glared. “Are you going to be this childish?”

“I’m not being childish. I’m making a point. You’re flirting with her to piss me off.”

Ali raised her hands and dropped them just as dramatically. “Oh, fuck off, Ashlyn. I’m seriously just playing and we were going to head back inside in a bit before you got your boxers in a twist. You always freak out over the stupidest shit.”

Ashlyn wanted to rip her hair out. “Ali, can we just – God, can we just talk for a minute before I want to just shoot myself in the foot.”

“That’s a sight to see,” Ali said, causing the other girls to laugh around her. But she shrugged and walked towards Ashlyn, grabbing her clothes and slipping on her pants and shirt. “But fine. Let’s go talk before you kill one of my friends.”

They walked down the path from the backyard to the small forest on campus and they slipped away into the darkness, the lights from the house was the only thing that kept them from tripping. Ali stopped at one of the larger trees, leaning against it and then smirked at Ashlyn.

The blonde took the look by surprise. “Um, what?”

“Nothing,” Ali teased.

“Nothing?” Ashlyn repeated. “Really? Did you forget the past hour? Where you slapped me? Ditched me? Flirted with Jessica? Or was that just my imagination? Because I know I’m not crazy.” She looked at Ali again, studying her and how her demeanor did a one-eighty turn around. “Seriously, what the hell, Ali? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Ali reached forward and pulled Ashlyn towards her until the taller girl’s hands rested against the tree and their bodies pressed together. “Ashlyn, calm down. Yes, I was mad at you. But I’m over it.”

Ashlyn glanced at her girlfriend and she knew that look. Ali wasn’t drunk, but she was tipsy. And the way her eyes were hooded over, the way that she gripped Ashlyn’s jacket teasingly, running her fingers along Ashlyn’s side, the blonde knew that Ali wanted something, and she knew exactly what it was. Even after the stress and dramatics, Ashlyn still thought Ali was the most beautiful thing in the world, and it was frustrating and satisfying at the same time.

She swallowed, pressing her forehead to her girlfriend’s. “God, you make me so mad but you make me want to kiss you until I can’t breathe.”

“And sometimes, you piss me off until I never want to talk to you again, but I know I’ll miss you.” Ali wrapped her arms around Ashlyn’s shoulder, running her finger through the blonde’s hair. “It’s what we do, Ash. We make each other mad. But you know, I don’t mind it when you take your anger out on me too,” she hinted with a small glint in her eyes.

“I know,” Ashlyn sighed, pressing herself into Ali until the girl was squished between the blonde and the tree. Ashlyn buried her face in Ali’s neck, breathing her in as she trapped Ali’s hands in hers and held her against the tree helplessly. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

Ali turned her head until her mouth was by Ashlyn’s ear. “Bring it on, stud.”

\-----------------

Ashlyn was breathing heavy on the dirt, staring at the starry sky above her through the tree leaves. Ali was next to her, panting just as hard, if not worse. Actually, it was probably worse.

“Holy shit,” Ali breathed, her hand going to her hair. 

They were both naked at this point, lying on the clothes that they had dropped to the dirt. They were completely hidden by the forest, and could barely even hear the party going on many yards away, and Ashlyn never wanted to leave. She turned to her side, cupping Ali’s cheek and bringing their lips together again.

Ali moaned but it was full of exhaustion as well. “Ashlyn, baby.”

“Hmm?” 

“I need a break.”

Ashlyn kissed down her cheek and her neck, sucking on her sweet spot and causing the hickey to grow even worse. “So take a break.”

Ali’s legs rubbed together as Ashlyn’s other hand moved across her naked chest and stomach, dancing across her skin.

“That’s really hard to do when you’re doing this.”

“So just let me do my thing,” Ashlyn whispered in her ear. “And I promise you that it’ll relax you.”

“It’s the last part that I don’t think I can handle,” Ali insisted, whimpering when Ashlyn grabbed her hands and held them down on the clothes, sliding on top of her. With her hands pinned and her exhaustion, she was at the keeper’s mercy. “How do you even have the energy to keep going?”

“Because unlike you, I only came once.”

“I didn’t opt for the third time.”

“Don’t worry.” Ashlyn kissed her lips lightly. “It was my pleasure.”

Ali squeezed her hands, asking for her girlfriend’s attention. “Don’t you think we should talk before we get carried away, you know, again?”

Ashlyn sighed. “Ali, come on. Having you like this does not make me want to talk.”

“But we need to.”

“Fine,” Ashlyn groaned, rolling off of her and onto her back dramatically. “But you have to make it up to me.”

Ali sat up and grabbed her shirt and pants, slipping them on for the third time that night along with the rest of her underwear. Ashlyn followed her lead reluctantly and got dressed, but she finished early and ended up just watching Ali as the poor girl struggled to even stand up straight.

Eventually, Ashlyn just walked over and helped her, slipping the shirt over her head. “Are you sure you want to talk?” 

Ali nodded. “I mean, we really need to.”

“But do we really? Can’t we just…” Ashlyn leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Ali’s, “Kiss and let things go.”

“We’ve let things go for a year now.”

“And it’s worked pretty well. We’re still together at least.”

Ali rolled her eyes but kissed her anyway, one quick one. “And nothing has changed since day one. So just shut up and follow me. We’re talking about this.”

Ali grabbed Ashlyn’s hand without another word and took off. It had been two hours since they had disappeared and many of their friends had plenty of comments about the disheveled clothes and hickeys but Ali just brushed them off, claiming that the two were going to find a room. Kelley had plenty more to joke about but Ashlyn glared at her as they passed and headed upstairs.

They found a random bed, didn’t know who it belonged to, and plopped down on it side by side.

“So,” Ali started, but she didn’t continue.

That caused Ashlyn to raise her eyebrows. “So, what?”

“What are we?”

“Girlfriends,” Ashlyn pointed out. “I mean, that’s what we’ve been for a while, Ali. In case you missed it. We do go on dates and have sex and kiss and cuddle and watch movies and shit.”

“So why do we fight all the time?”

Ashlyn smirked. “Because our makeup sex is amazing.” She leaned in and barely kissed Ali’s neck before the other girl moved out of her grasp and stood. Ashlyn gaped at her. “Ali? Really?”

“Really.” She crossed her arms where she stood, staring Ashlyn down. “When I said I wanted to talk, I meant it.”

With a surrendering hand gesture, Ashlyn leaned back on her hands and nodded. “Okay, say what you want to say then.”

Ali took a moment before she started on a rampage. “Okay, I get that we started off rocky. We fought and fought until it would explode into sex and then we ignored each other for weeks afterwards until it happened again. That happened for two years, and for some reason, those times with you stuck with me. Obviously, now, I like you. But this fighting is… it’s exhausting, Ashlyn. It’s tiring. And I think that you just, you just thrive off of it.”

It took a while for Ashlyn to realize that Ali was waiting for her to correct her. “Oh, um, no?”

Ali sighed. “Very convincing.”

“It’s not that I like it either,” Ashlyn said quickly. “But we got together because of fight. We’ve fought all the time. And it’s not like its constant. We’re good most of the time. A lot of people don’t believe that, but Ali, we don’t just fight.”

“I know, but sometimes–”

“It’s because you over think it,” Ashlyn said as she sat straighter. “You overthink everything. Like wonder what we are. Wondering if we’ll be together after you graduate. Always worried about what others think. Ali,” she reached forward and pulled Ali towards her, letting her hand rest on Ali’s hips. “This relationship is between us. Why do you let everyone else influence it?”

Ali shrugged shyly. “I just want this to work.”

Ashlyn sighed. “Look, I know I’m not the best girlfriend material. I can be possessive and jealous, but you have to understand why when you look at yourself in the mirror, Ali.” 

The brunette blushed above her. “We have a lot of work to do. I know our relationship isn’t just physical, but a lot of it is, and there has to be a balance.”

“We can find it.”

“And trust.”

“I do trust you.”

“Do you?” Ali asked, pulling away. “Because you claimed earlier that I had a thing with Jessica.”

“I was just frustrated. I hadn’t seen you in an hour at that point and I walk out there to see you almost naked with a girl who has a massive crush on you.” Ashlyn wrapped her arms around Ali and pressed her forehead into the defender’s stomach. “I know I shouldn’t react the way I do, sometimes, I mess up a lot, I have issues, but somehow you make things better. And I will try to find a balance, to calm down, to not let my temper get away from me. Because, Ali,” Ashlyn pulled back and looked up at her. “I love you, baby, and I don’t want to lose you.”

Ali’s eyes widened to the size of the sun. “What? You… you love me?”

Ashlyn nodded. “Yes. I absolutely do.”

“Wow. You really love me?” 

“God, Ali,” Ashlyn laughed, falling back against the bed. “How many times are you going to make me say it?”

Ali straddled her hips, a beaming smile on her face. “I mean, I like the way it sounds. You can’t blame me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know that feeling, would I?”

There was a kiss that took place after that, a small smile put into the kiss as well, and when Ali pulled back, her eyes were shining. “I love you too, Ashlyn.”

“Yeah,” Ashlyn said casually. “I thought so.”

“So, we’re good?”

“As good as we normally are,” Ashlyn said quietly, kissing Ali’s forehead. “But you’re right, we do have a lot of work to do.”

Ali agreed. “But we can do it?”

Ashlyn kissed her lightly again, pulling Ali to her chest and held her tightly. “I think we can, princess.”

**Author's Note:**

> LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!


End file.
